The Awakening
by C4rd of Sp4de
Summary: Elena practically lived in the hospital due to her bad health. Her life was planned out for her since the very beginning, live to see another day and marry into a respectable and rich family if she did, and Elena was fine with it. However, her life takes a sharp turn when she comes upon Wonderland. Can Wonderland show her that there's so much more to live for? Maybe love? (OC)
1. The Falling

_Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice and its canon characters and ideas._

_Claimer: I do own this story, which includes plot and characters never introduced in Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice_

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**I. The Falling**

The throng of bearded men, in pristine, long white coats, intermixed with women who wore the same coats, some with glasses and others without, occupied the white hallways in various directions, some rushed and others calmly making their way through, all making sure not to bump into one another. None stayed in the same place for more than a second. The hallway was filled with the sound of squeaky shoes making contact with the clean floors at different rhythms, the soft, monotonous beeping the resounded in every room of the hallway, and individual voices all muddling together to form in with the collection of noises. The smell of artificial lemons and oranges wafted through the make-shift breeze that everyone was making with their walking.

Elena, unable to find comfort in this noisy and crowded hallway, made her way through at the very edge so as to not bump into others due to her slow, uneven pace. She stopped before a large white door and didn't bother knocking as she opened the door and made her way inside, clicking the door close to keep out the majority of the noise. She made her way to the white bed in the center of the small room, settling herself into a seated position against the metal headboard. Once comfortable, she pulled out a worn green book, perhaps the only colored item in the room, from the white nightstand, flipped it open to a specific page, and began her silent reading.

Elena was a youth of seventeen, of small stature and thin build; her posture was always straight yet most people even a few years younger than her were already taller than her. Her waist-length hair was pure black and straight, her long bangs swept to the side a little and cut a little ways above her eyes. Her large, doll-like sapphire eyes seemed to be dim with boredom and indifference.

Every once in a while, Elena would bring her gaze away from the tiny print of the pages in front of her and gaze at the pale door for a few seconds, as if waiting for it to open and someone to come in. Her expectations were answered when the door slammed open all the way, the surrounding people out in the corridor pausing for just a moment to see the commotion then going on their dutiful way, and another person skipped into the room.

Amy, like the happy person Elena had always known her to be, skipped through the room towards the white bed and pulled out a short, white stool from underneath, plopping herself down on it. She didn't bother knocking, as always, and offered Elena a large smile as a first greeting.

"Hey Ells, how are you feeling today?" Amy asked in a chipper voice that was toned with concern for the girl, causing the corner of the girl's mouth to move upward in the slightest.

Amy was another youth of seventeen as well, though a few months older than Elena, of tall stature and lean build; her posture, much like other people her age, tended to be in a more crouched over position than Elena's, yet even she was taller than most a few years older than herself at the moment. Her shoulder-length hair was dirty blonde, though the blonde streaks are nearly gone by now, and curly, her bangs mostly swept to one side and framing her thin face. Her thin, almond-shaped emerald eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth and playfulness.

"Same as always, I suppose. Go to my check-up, read my book, and talking with you Amy," Elena answered with her soft, monotonic voice. "How was school? I hope you remembered to actually bring the class notes this time," Elena asked, her eyes lazily drifting back to the novel in her hands.

"Well," Amy slowly began, drawing out the "l" until it faded away, "I have the notes, but I don't have them with me," she slowly confessed with a meek smile and shrugged shoulders, her body language hesitantly asking for forgiveness.

"As long as you have it by tomorrow or some time this week if you forget tomorrow as well," Elena could only sigh at her friends forgetfulness, yet could not find it in her to reprimand her since she didn't really want to waste her breath on it. However, she didn't let her off the hook if the little jab to Amy's memory capacity was any indication.

"Thanks Ells, I'll be sure to have it to you by then!" Amy exclaimed, immediately brightening up when Elena didn't scold her for it. With the way she was happy again, it was no surprise that Amy didn't catch on to what Elena was hinting. The two friends were interrupted when a sharp knock resounded from the other side of the door and echoed in the room. No sooner than the happening of the knock, the door was already opened and two figures strode into the room.

Mr. Thorne took long and prideful strides towards Elena's bed, stopping just a few meters away from the foot of the bed. This man was a man of perhaps thirty-five, of towering heights and a muscular, but lean build; with straight posture. His dark brown hair was long enough to cover the back of his neck, though not every strand reached to such length as his hair was cut and layered. His thin, brown eyes upon his long, slender face seemed to be dark with dominance and power.

Rose skipped alongside Mr. Thorne, hanging off his arm in a rather intimate way. This was a woman significantly younger than Mr. Thorne and seemed to be in her prime at twenty-five, about the same height as Amy with a similar build, however she evidently had larger...life assists...with the way she held herself at a more seductive pose (Amy would call it a drunken woman and Elena would call it a prostitute). Her waist-length sun blonde hair was curly and her bangs were swept to the side, much like Amy's hair, yet not framing her face. Her doe-like, baby blue eyes sparkled with fun and seduction.

"Elena," Mr. Thorn greeted with his smooth voice and a curt nod, to which Elena offered a small bob of her head in acknowledgement.

"Who is that?" Elena asked rather rudely, slightly jutting her chin towards Rose in a crude fashion. Rose let out an indignant huff at the gesture and scrunched her face up into a frown, possibly trying to look more cute, but Elena let out a small disgusted scoff at her her expression. It was quiet enough for neither Rose or Mr. Thorne to hear, but Amy heard it well with being right next to Elena, and lightly snorted to cover up her laugh. Rose's head quickly turned to glare at Amy, who returned the ferocity of the glare.

"This is Rose, my new girlfriend. I ask that both you and your friend welcome her," Mr. Thorne sighed out in exasperation, already seeing the animosity between the trio. It seemed that whenever he got himself a new girl to hang off his arms, both Elena and Amy seemed to bring out their claws and fight back. Well, knowing the girls, Amy would be the one with the claws while Elena would coordinate everything from the background.

"I was fine with Amy being here since she's my friend and I can barely tolerate _you_, but Miss Rose will have to leave. It already makes for too much stupidity as it is when I'm in the same room as a whore such as herself alone," Elena snapped at the both of them with a glare. Elena's face didn't seem to move much from her indifferent expression that she always seemed to wear, but the spitfire behind her eyes was enough to get the message across.

"Danny, she's being so rude to me!" Rose finally spoke up in a whinny, high-pitched voice that had Elena and Amy rolling their eyes, as well as flinching, from the annoying noise. She tore her glare away from the two friends to pout at Mr. Thorne to which the friends found a pitiful imitation of a bull dog.

"We wouldn't have to be so rude if you were of better stock," Amy sharply bit back into the woman. Seeing Elena's small nod of approval at her remark and diction, Amy mentally patted herself on the back, knowing that she picked up a thing or two from the girl. Rose opened her mouth to protest against their behavior, but Mr. Thorne silenced her by lifting the arm she held onto out of her possessive grip.

"Rose, will you please leave while I speak with my daughter? I ask the same for you, Miss Amy," Mr. Thorne requested, though it seemed more like an order with the his voice hardened over the words. Rose pouted some more, but swiftly turned on her heels and stomped out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Amy, however, was having none of it and firmly stayed seated beside Elena.

"Since you asked, Mr. Thorne, no," Amy defiantly spoke, though made sure to keep her words and tone polite knowing that Mr. Thorne could have her thrown out of Elena's room never to return again. Mr. Thorne opened his mouth to speak, but Elena had beat him to it.

"As I've said before, I can barely stand being in the same room as you and Amy's presence makes it tolerable. Speak of why you have come here now so that you will leave sooner," Elena demanded, not wanting her friend thrown out of the room and wanting to leave Mr. Thorne's presence as soon as possible.

"Very well then," Mr. Thorne conceded, knowing that he could not win against the two. "I am here to tell you that this Saturday there will be a party and that you need to attend this one. A few prosperous families have put out invitations for you to come and meet their sons," he informed. Amy looked appalled by the underlying message behind Mr. Thorne's words, but Elena just shrugged and returned her attention back to the book.

"I understand," Elena distractedly answered, making Amy's head snap in her direction with an open stare of shock. "You've said what you needed to say, so you may leave," Elena dismissed with a lazy wave of her hand. Mr. Thorne saw no more reason to stay, so he bid the friends goodbye and made his way out the door.

"What do you mean 'I understand'!" Amy practically yelled right in Elena's face once Mr. Thorne and Rose's footsteps faded away. To say the least, Amy was rather sickened by the idea of an arranged marriage that Mr. Thorne was practically throwing in Elena's face, and disturbed by her lack of response.

"I mean that stuff like this doesn't matter to me," Elena sighed, shutting her book and placing it back down on the nightstand and turning all her attention to Amy. This is what always happens between the two of them whenever Mr. Thorne came to inform Elena of anything she needed to know. By now, Elena knew the best course of action to take, put the book down and turn all her attention to her distressed friend.

"Why not? He's basically planning out your entire future before your eyes and you're telling me it doesn't matter?!" Amy wailed out in distress. Elena was her dearest friend and Amy thought of her as a little sister, so it was only natural that she would try and protect those she thought of as family.

"Please take a moment to think about this, Amy," Elena gently requested, pausing for a moment to let her words begin to sink in. She hated reminding Amy of the harsh reality, but there was no other way around it. "I'm always here at this hospital, this small room basically my home since childhood because of my defective heart. The doctors always made educated guesses as to when I was going to die. At three, at five, at ten, at fifteen... I exceeded their expectations so they gave up and they're all waiting until I can no longer open my eyes. At this rate, I probably will not live too long in the future, so I wish to enjoy what I've got right now; my books, my knowledge, and being with my one and only friend, you," Elena spoke in tenderness, offering a gentle and kind smile for Amy, her eyes brightening up a little as she reminisced about their good times. Amy's eyes were shining with unshed tears that were about to fall, but she quickly wiped them away with a quiet sniffle.

"I swear, sometimes you seem like the bigger idiot than me," Amy quietly remarked as she wiped her eyes, causing Elena's eyebrows to furrow in confusion. She suddenly stood and offered a happy and joyful smile for Elena. "Come on then, I know what will bring this mood back up," she chirped, running out of the room before Elena could ask what she meant. Amy soon came back with a wheelchair, rolling it up to Elena's beside. "A trip outside is what we need!" she exclaimed, knowing that Elena doesn't get to see sunlight too often by her pale and cold skin.

"I'm not that weak!" Elena retorted at the sight of the wheelchair, and in a comical sense Amy could see a small, animated red vein pop in the corner of Elena's head. Amy just laughed merrily at her friend as she patted her tiny head to rile her further. In the back of Elena's mind however, Elena truly appreciated the gesture and committed the moment to the fondest of her memories.

**~Scene Change~**

Amy pushed Elena on the wheelchair as they leisurely strolled down the dirt pathway right behind the hospital in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the beauty outside, the quietness save fore their footsteps crunching against fallen leaves and the animals, the fresh smell of wood and pine, and each other's company. The pathway was completely empty except for the two of them since no one really knew of such a place due to the fact that it was hidden underneath the tall grove trees and the hospital.

It took the two of them a while to come outside as they kept arguing about whether or not Elena should be in a wheelchair. Amy thought it would be fun for the both of them while being safe for Elena at the same time, whilst Elena thought it as an insult to her practically non-existent strength. Sure Elena was thin and frail, but that didn't mean she needed to be pushed around on a wheelchair once she was outside! Elena tried to convince Amy that the hospital needed the wheelchairs for more important needs, but try as she might, it didn't stop Amy from ransacking one, making her sit on it, and sneak out of the hospital without anyone really taking notice.

"I don't see the need for me to be on this chair," Elena sighed out tiredly, still a bit peeved about how she lost the argument. In her opinion, it wasn't a fair way to end an argument as Amy physically forced her onto the chair.

"Oh don't spoil my fun," Amy lightly reprimanded, directing an angered pout at the top of Elena's head before returning back to her happy smile and going on their merry way.

"But I suppose a thank you is in order for offering a great opportunity for me, so thank you," Elena truly thanked with a small smile on her face as she looked around the forest scenery without turning her head too much. Amy just smiled in gratefulness and the two continued their silent, albeit pleasant, walk. However, Elena's small smile slowly melted away into a thin line the longer they walked. She couldn't explain it, but she felt a sort of...nagging, pulsating...feeling to go off the path and further into the woods. At first, Elena considered the dangers of walking off into the forest when it was already deep into the afternoon, not necessarily dusk time. However, the longer the walk went on the stronger the feelings got until it passed the stage of annoyance and almost into a painful, sort of yelling that commanded her to go into the forest. She stronger the command got, she began to feel that she needed to find something in those woods, but she didn't know what. Without thinking, Elena moved to stand, as if in a trance, but abruptly stopped and was brought back to reality when Amy placed her hands on her shoulder and forearm.

"Where do you think you're going? Amy asked with a raised brow, leaning over Elena to look at her face from above, causing Elena to raise her chin to meet her gaze.

"I just wanted my book," Elena spoke, quickly returning her head to its natural position since speaking that way seemed to put a strain on her throat.

"Fine," Amy sighed out, leaning back to her original position and turning on her heel to run to the direction they came from. "I'll come back with your book in a second, don't you dare move from that spot!" Amy yelled over her shoulder as she ran back, not bothering to see whether or not Elena nodded in confirmation. Elena waited for a few moments, before jumping out of the chair and turning to the direction of the forest. It was obvious she was rather hesitant, but she couldn't ignore the pulsing in her mind so she took a quiet gulp to steel herself and took slow and cautious steps away from the path and into the trees.

**~Scene Change~**

Elena didn't know which way she was going, only following the direction her mind and instinct told her to go. She didn't know how long or far she had traveled, it felt like years to her, but by the indication of the setting sun it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. Besides, she didn't hear Amy's loud calls for her name when she would find out that she had left, so it couldn't have been long. After a few more moments of traveling, she abruptly stopped and her face turned into of annoyed anger, as if she had found out she just wasted precious time on such a ridiculous quest.

"Coming in here just because of a stupid feeling. What was I thinking?" she reprimanded herself in an airy whisper. In her mind, she was silently cursing herself for even following the feeling. For all she knew, it could just be a simple headache brought on because she didn't take the recommended doses of medication. It could have been gone after a good night's rest!

Elena quickly turned on her heel, but froze at the sight before her. Now the girl prided herself on her instant, photographic memory, but the scenery before her eyes was too different from what she remembered. Not entirely though, as it was the same sunset, same trees, same ground, but the trees were off by their positioning, how many leaves each held, and the thickness of their trunks. Elena began to feel scared as she looked around to try to find the familiar setting of trees she had seen before, but could not find them. Making up her mind, she began to jog into the direction where she first turned around to, making sure not too overwork her beating heart.

"Amy? Amy!" Elena tried to call for her friend, her voice becoming more desperate as she continued to call, only to be met with silence. Without being conscious of it or considering the consequences, Elena began to run as fast as her small feet can carry her, her heart beginning to thud at an irregular pace, hammering against her chest as a plea to stop and rest. But Elena could not, as fear began to seep into her skin, clouding over her best judgement. Elena continued to run, until she felt nothing but air under her feet.

"Eh?" Elena instinctively let out the questioning sound as she stopped running for a moment, feeling a sudden rush of air go through her from below. She looked down and saw that she was already falling down a large black hole! Elena was shocked to complete silence as her vision began to blotch black and her breathing turned into gasps for air, her heart painfully battering against her rib cage as it pulsed her blood with sporadic and uneven beats.

"Amy!" was the last thing Elena weakly called out as she felt herself becoming weaker as she fell down the hole.

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**A/N - And that's the rendition of the first chapter of this story! As I actually began to plan out Elena's character, I feel that responses would be different and so here it is! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Be sure to leave a review (the clickable button is right below, but it looks rather boring to me. If I could edit that, I would have it in Las Vegas lights) to tell me your thoughts and point out some problems that you've noticed in this chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**Special shout out to** _Sleeping Moon_ **for helping me out with this and also our story that we're doing together with both of our OCs in the same Wonderland** _"Waltzing in Wonderland". _**Be sure to check that out and also the stories on **_Sleeping Moon's_ **profile and leave a review for them!**


	2. The Shooting

_Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice and its canon characters and ideas._

_Claimer: I do own this story, which includes plot and characters never introduced in Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice_

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**II. The Shooting**

The night sky was lit up by the flashing, bright lights on the ground below, yet the sky still held its beautiful luster with the twinkling stars and brilliant full moon above. The sound of excited chatter and laughter floated up into the air, the thick scents of greasy foods and sweets wafted through the light breeze, the warm air accompanied by the cool currents, and the touch of strong, warm cement under her body created an atmosphere of calm for Elena, as strange as it sounded.

Right now at the moment, Elena was just lying on her back, just staring at the midnight heavens in a daze. She was sure of falling down that bizarre hole, her heart beating out of control and if she hadn't ended up here, perhaps she would have died without immediate medical attention. But, as she was falling down the hole, she shut her eyes as the reality of a sudden, unwanted death (who would want to die falling down a hole?) became apparent to her. The next time she opened her eyes, she found herself in the position she was in now; lying flat on her back on some weird cemented place. Was this a dream? Or maybe this was a second reality? Or maybe her first reality and her life in the hospital was the dream? Or maybe both places were the dreams and her real self was in a coma in some faraway land? Or maybe she had really died down that hole and she was dreaming of this place in a purgatory of sorts?

After moments of pondering, Elena moved to sit up and look at the source of the light, amazed by what she saw if the slight drop of her jaw and raised eyebrows were any indication. The place was packed with people of different ages and with different purposes who were walking around on the checkered-styled stone, and every one of theme seemed to be happy and joyous. They all traveled under a sea of bright, iridescent lights that didn't hurt the eyes by their brilliance but instead glowed warmly and welcomed any and all to come over. Various stalls were set up, each one packed with its own set of people and even a selective audience with what they were selling or showing off.

"A carnival?" Elena quietly asked herself, but as she looked further down the horizon, she could see towering roller coasters, massive attractions, and an enormous Ferris wheel at the center of it all. "No, an amusement park," she corrected herself. There's just no way a place like this could be just a simple carnival. Crawling to the edge of the concrete platform she was on, Elena peered down over the edge and could see that she was on one of the stalls with others under the striped canopy. Upon further inspection, Elena was surprised that none of the people had eyes! However, everyone seemed to act like it was the norm, so maybe they would be the ones shocked that she was the one to have eyes instead.

With that thought in mind, Elena slowly backed away further to the shadows and towards the woods that surrounded the park. Reaching to the nearest tree, Elena carefully lowered herself down to the ground in the safest way possible, making sure that her hospital robe and gown and long hair were not tangled in the branches. Once her feet touched the cool, wet grass, Elena decided it would be best to walk around the perimeter of the amusement park and try to find out what was going on while staying hidden in the shadows. It might not be best for her to start questioning people given her straggly appearance and the fact that she had eyes, which everyone else seemed to be void of.

**~Scene Change~**

From what Elena had learned by walking around for about an hour as she listened in to other people's conversations, she was in a place known as "Wonderland" and the park was unimaginatively named the "Amusement Park". Apparently there is a territorial dispute of sorts between three different territories between a mafia, a royal family, and the owners of the Amusement Park; the only "neutral" territories was the clover tower and Wonderland's town, which were unfortunately placed in the center of the fighting lands. She heard of a circus, but Elena wasn't too sure if it was a part of the Amusement Park or it's own separate territory and a apart of the dispute at all. The people that had power were the ones that had eyes since a few groups (mainly gossiping teens and young adults) were talking about how their bosses had beautiful eyes or something, but Elena wasn't sure how that worked. Genetics? Surgery? Anyway, the people kept talking about clocks so she was sure it was significant, but she wasn't sure how. Would she even be able to get answers from anyone though? If she talked with a person without eyes, they might be freaked out she had them; but if she spoke with someone that had eyes, they might mistake her for someone in power and begin to question her about useless things and waste her time. Taking a deep breath, Elena cautiously stepped out of the shadows and began to approach a young girl sitting on a bench.

"Excuse me?" Elena called out once she was close enough. The little girl turned her head towards Elena and Elena stopped herself from gasping aloud in shock seeing that the girl had no eyes. "_It's different when seeing it up close and personal _,"she thought. "I'm sorry to disturb you but..." Elena trailed off as she heard a woman's voice calling out in the distance. Turning her head, she could see an older woman running towards them frantically.

"Lily!" the woman shouted out. She quickly grabbed the girl and gently pulled her behind her body as if to protect her, all while keeping a wary face directed towards Elena. "Please excuse my daughter for her behavior!" she pleaded with Elena, bowing deeply.

"No, your daughter was perfectly fine," Elena tried to convince the woman, backing up on a foot and holding her hands up in front. Looking closely, Elena could see the woman's knackered appearance and she thought that maybe it was just a mother trying to protect her child from a stranger, but after a second observation, Elena knew she was wrong. The woman looked to have run a long distance, so she probably wouldn't have been able to see her daughter talking with a stranger. Besides, Elena was sure a mother wouldn't panic this much when her child is taking with a young girl such as herself, despite her own straggly appearance and wearing only a hospital gown and robe.

"Shouldn't you be with the other Role Holders in the plaza?" the mother asked, well nearly spat in Elena's face. However, Elena was not at all bothered by her tone as she picked up on two key words the woman used.

"Role Holders? Are those the people with eyes?" Elena asked, taking note at how the woman's face was directed to sneer at the sight of her eyes. Elena moved back to her casual standing position as she realized that the woman was probably not going to harm her in any way. She seemed to say "Role Holders" with a twinge of fear in her voice, so the woman probably wouldn't risk hurting Elena if she thought she was a "Role Holder".

"Yes..." the mother answered slowly with a slight nod of her head. "You're...not from Wonderland, are you?" she deduced by the way Elena questioned the name. Elena nodded in confirmation and the mother's rigid stance and her grip on her daughter's arm began to relax, a small smile growing on her face. "A Foreigner," she breathed out in what Elena would call wonder and relief. "You're a Foreigner," the mother repeated in a joyous voice.

"If you mean being an alien here in Wonderland, then yes. I am a foreigner," Elena confirmed with a slower, smaller nod of her head than before. She didn't understand the importance of being a "foreigner" or a "Foreigner". Maybe Wonderland just didn't get that many visitors if the name could calm down a woman who was scared for both her daughter's and her own life.

All of a sudden, the sound of multiple gunshots and screaming people pierced the air, causing the three of them to sharply turn towards the sound. The woman was quick to grasp Elena's wrist with her free hand and yank Elena's attention back to her.

"I'm sorry Miss, but we have to get out of here now," the mother quickly explained and she began to run in the direction with all the other eyeless people towards the park gates with Elena and her child, Lily, lifted into her arms and pressed against her bosom. Because Elena could not keep with the fast pace, the woman had to run at a slower pace than everyone else.

As Elena ran, her mind began to pull in the direction towards the gun firings. She couldn't explain it, but it was that same feeling as the one in the forest that told her to go to a place she never would have gone under normal circumstances. All other sounds began to fade away as if echoing down a tunnel and all she could focus on was the pulsating beat deep in her mind and the sharp guns going off in the distance. A little buzzing in the back of her mind whispered to her to go to the fight without any words, just that she knew it. It was like intuition, her own Jiminy Cricket behind her ears, speaking to her without the use of words.

"Miss?" the mother called out to Elena, noticing how she'd stopped entirely and just seemed to blankly stare ahead with a dazed, sleep-like expressions that she never had before. Elena's eyes were just dim and blue, the colors blending together in a dull fashion as in a trance.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go there," Elena, her voice void and faraway, spoke softly, yanking her hand out of the woman's grasp. Before she could argue, Elena turned on her heel and began to jog her way towards the fighting, letting the feeling completely coordinate her body and mind.

**~Scene Change~**

It felt to Elena that she had been in a similar situation as before, if not the same. Again, following just the feeling in her mind, she ended up in a place she knew she shouldn't have. Right now she hid low in the bushes as she watched the gun fighting scene continue to drag on in front of her. In total, she counted six of these "Role Holders" who were supported by their own workers, each person pointing their own weapon towards the opposing side. This must be a "territorial dispute" or something because Elena doubted a set-up like this was just a simple "gang harassment" type of clash.

On her left side stood two tall men (well, everyone is tall from her perspective) and two boys. One wore a white suit with an outrageous top hat, holding a standard machine gun in his hands; obviously the head of the group. The next man wore a long black coat and a dark purple scarf with a golden pistol in his own hand (Elena had to ask herself; were those rabbit ears on his head?); the right-hand man most likely. The two boys beside them were twins wearing soldier-like uniforms and yielding giant axes, one boy red and the other blue; probably some other important worker that Elena couldn't think of. Elena found the sight of such children wielding weapons as if it were nothing in the middle of battle to be rather disturbing and angering.

To her left were only two other Role Holders, definitely from the Amusement Park since the employees surrounding them were wearing the same uniforms she saw on a few other workers around. Or maybe they were the same people. She couldn't really tell from the distance and the fact that it was night out. One in a long yellow coat and a shotgun in his own hands; the leader of and owner of the Amusement Park. The second wore punk-styled black leather clothes with an abnormally large pink boa around his neck and a golden pistol at his side (again, Elena had to wonder; did the man had cat-like ears on his head?); the Amusement Park's second in command.

"Oh I hate it when the Hatters come to the Amusement Park. Those twins and the cat will always try to find me to bully me, plus there's always the gun fighting," a squeaky, timid voice moaned out in complaint right next to Elena. Elena swiftly turned her head and saw that someone was sharing the hiding spot with her. It looked to be a boy at about her age, but it was too dark in the bushes for her to clearly see anything. Apparently he had no idea that she was there in the first place since her long black hair did well to help her blend into the shadows. Elena's eyes began to drift back to the conflict, but stopped and snapped at the first sight of shining silver in the bushes. Upon further inspection, Elena saw that it was a silver revolver which the boy beside her held on the ground with shaking fingers. The lights from the park must have reflected against the clean surface and hit Elena in her eye or something.

Again, that identical feeling came back to Elena, but at full force this time. It was practically screaming orders for her to go into action. And so, without thinking, Elena took the boy's revolver and ran out of the bushes, towards the unsuspecting groups despite the boy's calls for her to come back. Elena continued to run ahead blindly as fast as she could, her eyes open and faded as in stupor. Once she was in a close enough range, she lifted the pistol, her mind racing with instant calculations of trajectory angles, speed, air resistance, gravitational pull, and force; aiming the gun with both hands grasping the handle in a steady grip. Without a second to lose, a spoken word shrieked at her, piercing her mind, and demanded that she...

_"Shoot!" _

...and she did. Pulling back the hammer and activating the trigger to shooting the gun. Once she had done that, the feeling quickly faded away and Elena began to take in her surroundings with a clearer mind. Everything was silent and all she could hear was her own hard breathing and the harsh beating of her heart inside her ears. Elena's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, her whole body trembling and her grip on the revolver's handle tightening with both hands, falling to her knees while still staring ahead, her eyes shinning of darkness as realization dawned her. What had she just done?

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**A/N - So, what did Elena do? Who did she shoot? Did she even shoot anyone? These answers will be influenced by you, the reader, so be sure to leave a review as to what you think happened.**

**Special thank and shout outs to **_Sleeping Moon, AnimeAngel, Quiet Harmony-chan, _**and **_Guest_ **for leaving a review on this story. I noticed that you praised the first chapter for the details, Elena and Amy so thank you again!**


	3. The Questioning

_Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice and its canon characters and ideas._

_Claimer: I do own this story, which includes plot and characters never introduced in Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice_

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**III. The Questioning**

_What had she done?_

Everything within the park's plaza vicinity came to a complete stop. No sound, no movements were made as everyone's stare went back and forth from the black hat on the ground and the strange girl who had collapsed to a seated position not too far away. The girl looked strange in her plain white gown and long white robe, her black hair in a disarray, and large blue eyes wide with fear and exhilaration. Not too long ago, the Hatter family entered the park for territory negotiations, yet like always there's a gun fight when Blood mocks Gowland's first name and Gowland blows a top; again. But now it was different, a random girl with eyes stops the battle by blowing Blood's top off, literally. Who was she?

Pierce Villiers, despite being the scared mouse everyone credits him for, was the first to actually move as he ran from his hiding spot in the bushes and to Elena, going down on one knee right next to her and speaking to her softly. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked in concern. He moved to reach for his revolver, but the moment his large hand dwarfed over Elena's own small ones, she seemed to flinch to attention. Elena's eyes rapidly blinked for a second, the crystallized, sapphire color returning back once more. Elena took a second to assess the situation before her; she fired the gun, but luckily it didn't hit anyone and instead made a bull's eye out of the mafioso's ridiculous hat and now everyone was staring at her as if they couldn't believe she was there.

"I...I'm fine..." she whispered in response, a little shakiness in the undertone. Elena slowly stood to her feet, rejecting Pierce's outstretched hand while still holding the gun. She straightened herself up and put a strong face of seriousness to hide her nervousness, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart and making sure that she spoke loud and clear enough for everyone to hear her and get the message across. "Excuse me, but I ask that you take your gun fight else where so that other people may roam the park safely," she strongly requested.

"Who's she? A new Role Holder?" Elliot quietly asked Blood as he warily eyed the girl, his finger on the trigger of his gun and his arm tensing, ready to instantly shoot her if she were to do anything dangerous.

"I don't know, but it seems fun," he replied, a sly smirk appearing on his face as he looked between his fallen hat and the girl. Unlike his right-hand man, Blood relaxed his grip on his machine gun and his stance, already knowing that the girl was not going to be much of a threat. She looked rather shocked and scared when she fired the gun and fell to her knees, but he had to give it to her for rising back up with a hard look on her small face. It was a rather amusing sight to see; a disheveled young girl clad in nothing but cheap and dirty white gown and robe, who was slightly trembling with the silver revolver that looked a tad too big on her tiny hands, yet did the impossible with said revolver and stared everyone down with those blue, doe-like eyes. "What's this _Mary_?" Blood began, turning his attention to the park owner. "Are you calling on little girls to join the fight now?" he taunted loud enough for everyone in the area to hear him clearly.

"Dupre," Gowland growled out through gritted teeth, visibly seething as he forgot about the girl and turned his attention straight to Blood. He swung his arm around, aiming his shotgun at Blood's head and about to fire, but the girl stopped him before he could pull the trigger.

"Enough!" Elena sharply shouted at everyone, startling them all with the surprising volume her voice could reach. "I don't know of these 'Mary' or 'Dupre' people, but I ask of you and them to leave this park and continue your dispute elsewhere," she said with a tougher voice which made it almost sound like an order.

"I am 'Dupre'. Blood Dupre, young lady," Blood purred out, changing his machine gun back into his black cane. He walked over to where Elena stood. The height difference was amazing as Elena had to turn her head completely upward to see his face, a little irritated that the position might hurt her neck since the top of her head couldn't even reach his shoulders. Blood bowed down slightly while taking her hand in his and placing a delicate kiss on her knuckle. "A pleasure to meet you young lady. Might I say, you have an impeccable shot," he complimented with a flirtatious tone, slyly sliding his aquatic eyes to meet her blue ones, before letting her hand go and straightening himself to his full height. "However, as you have said, I believe it is time for us to take our leave." He turned to his mafia and waved his hand, a signal to put away all the weapons to which they obeyed immediately and without questioning looks, and then back to Elena. "I hope to see you at the tea party I'll be hosting at my mansion."

"Tea party?" Elena questioned with a raised brow. She wasn't sure about what she felt about the man in front of her, Blood Dupre he called himself (she found it rather weird that his first name was "Blood". Either it was a nickname of sorts since he seemed to be the head of the gang or his actual real name, to which Elena had to ask herself; who would name their child "Blood"? Then again, maybe his ancestry is a line of gang leaders so maybe it was a common thing to name the child a somewhat intimidating name). He was flirtatious, sure, but he was a gentleman about it and she'd experience worse when with some of the boys at her father's parties. No, it was the aura around him that alerted her; the way he held himself high with pride and dominance, but with the heavier undertone that this man was one who would scheme for amusement and had no trouble seducing anyone to his ways. Dangerous. That's a single word with which Elena could describe this man. But then again, he was inviting her over to a tea party, so maybe not as dangerous as she's perceiving him to be right now.

"Yes, I shall send my subordinates to find you tomorrow to inform you of the day," he nodded. "Farewell, young lady. I hope to see you soon," Blood politely bid her goodbye with another small bow. He then turned to his workers and the entire group left without questions.

"What a strange man," Elena couldn't help but murmur to herself aloud as she watched the mafia leave the scene. She then turned to Gowland and began to walk towards him. "Are you lot alright?" she asked them.

"Yes," Gowland nodded slowly, staring at the girl. He wasn't as cautious as everyone else since she didn't really look all too harmful or hostile, despite the revolver in her hand, and now that she was up close and he could see her more clearly, she just looked like a lost and scared cat. "But we've had it all under control," he quickly reassured her, to which she sent him a skeptical look before turning her attention to Pierce, who had hastily followed her to stand by her side.

"I believe this gun is yours. I apologize for taking it," she apologized, handing Pierce the gun back who thanked her and stashed the gun into his back pocket. Elena then turned her attention to Gowland, remembering Blood's words. "And I believe you would be the 'Mary' Mister Dupre was referring to, am I right?" she asked.

"That damnable Hatter," Gowland muttered under her breath quietly so that Elena couldn't hear, but she still heard and raised a questioning brow directed to him. "Yes, but I prefer to be called 'Gowland' instead. I'm the owner of the Amusement Park," he greeted her happily, holding out his hand for her to shake, to which she did rather hesitantly.

"If you're the owner, then shouldn't you have enough common sense not to start a gun fight in the middle of your own park?" Elena asked him sharply, to which he winced a little at her voice since it sounded like she was a mother scolding her child; he being the child. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but Elena just kept firing at him. "And besides, if you're as old as you look, Mister Gowland, then you should be mature enough to stay calm when someone taunts you by something like your first name?" she questioned further.

"Well, you see...uh..." Gowland tried to respond, nervously scratching the back of his neck and looking around at anything else but her fiery blue eyes. When he heard her sigh in resignation, Gowland stopped his nervous scratching and looked back at her, seeing her blazing eyes back to indifference.

"Oh well, what's done is done. But I hope that at the very least you have learned something from this experience," she sighed out, resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. She felt like doing it, but it would have been a rude gesture and she knew better.

"Are you a Foreigner? You don't exactly sound like how a Role Holder would," Boris spoke from his position next to Gowland. He stayed quiet for a while, just observing the girl. He was about to introduce himself right after Gowland, but held back when she started firing her accusations and questions. He figured now would be the best time since she seemed to have calmed down a bit after that. "Boris Airay. And that scared mouse from who you took the gun from is Pierce Villiers," he introduced them both, pointing his thumb to himself and nodding in Pierce's direction

"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Airay and Mister Villiers," Elena nodded in their direction to show that she acknowledges their presences. "And yes, I suppose I'm a Foreigner since the lady called me one and I assume that you are the Role Holders," she confirmed, looking between the three men.

"Well, enough of introductions," Gowland said, back to his happy self as he clasped his hands together. "The park's about to close for the night so I best think it's time to take this conversation to my office," he said, to which Elena agreed with a nod. And so, the four of them began to walk in the opposite direction the mafia went as the park's workers dispersed into different places.

As she was walking with them, that same feeling suddenly came back and with full force, pounding against the back of her school and reverberating throughout her body in chills. Elena actually staggered back, clutching her head with her hands as if to help relieve the pain. She could barely hear a mirage of voices, but her everything her five senses were registering were all muddled together as she tried to fight and relieve the chaos the feeling was causing in her mind. Then, slowly, a strange voice begins to break through the mess of senses, but just barely.

_"And how are you feeling today...?"_

Elena wasn't sure whose voice it was for she'd never heard it, not even from the Role Holders she's met so far or that one voice that told her to shoot the gun. No, it was far older than any of them and far more soothing and calming as well. She could hear another voice respond, but it was far too blurred for her to make out anything. Her vision soon began to fade into black and her senses began to follow and shut down. She distinctly felt a numbing impact against her whole left side, but she couldn't make out what it was. Had she fallen?

**~Scene Change~**

It had been approximately three weeks since Elena's disappearance and Amy was getting more and more anxious as time had passed. After returning to the spot where she'd left Elena on the wheelchair with her book in hand, the first thing she noticed was that Elena wasn't there! She tried running through the woods, looking for any marks that could help her lead her to where Elena was with her scouting skills, but even that didn't work as there was no sign that Elena entered the forest at all. On closer inspection, Amy found that Elena hadn't even left her wheelchair for there were no distinctive footprints in the dirt around, or any traces at all. She couldn't have been kidnapped else a trace would have been left and Elena would have screamed or something. With the hospital being right next to them, someone would have heard her. However, to the police, she had been the prime suspect and the title has yet to be taken off her name. They took her into the station to question her, but Amy had been too hysteric to answer, her worries over her friend making her too distraught and manic to pay attention to anything else.

Now Amy spent most of her days locked in her room, refusing to come out for school, food, and going as far as to shut out her own family when they tried to help. The guilt over Elena's disappearance heavily weighed on her shoulders. It thoroughly transformed her from the girl everyone once knew. Maybe even Elena wouldn't be able to recognize her friend. Amy was pale and thin, an unhealthy skin tone and body weight, after having refuse food, and even when she did eat it was in small bites only, and being locked in her room in the darkness. Her once smooth hair was tangled to the point that it was hard to tell whether it was curly or straight due to the fact that she kept tossing and turning in bed and constantly clutching and scratching her head. The biggest change were her eyes. Before they shined a brilliant emerald shine, filled with mirth and playfulness, but they were now dull and hallowed out to a faded green color as they were darkened and dimmed by depression and anxiety.

Her family was getting desperate to help Amy, so they forced her to go see a psychologist that could also double as a way to prove her innocence.

**~Scene Change~**

"And how are you feeling today, Miss Fullerton?" Amy's psychologist, a Mister Lebrun, gently asked her as she settled herself into the long chair, a typical piece of furniture for any psychologists office.

Mister Lebrun was a man of forty, of medium height and a rather slender build; though he did stoop a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted to one side to make way for his circular eye-glasses to fit on his face. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed.

"I've been better," Amy answered. Even her voice was distant and hollow. Mister Lebrun nodded and wrote something down on his yellow pad before looking back up at Amy.

"So you're family tells me that you're this way because of the disappearance of your friend, Elena. Am I right?" Mister Lebrun further questioned, to which Amy just gave a simple nod to answer. Amy didn't bother looking at Mister Lebrun as she answered, just staring straight ahead as she was lost in her own mind. "Let's start with some simple questions about your friend. How did you meet Elena?"

"It was back when we were still in elementary school, at seven. We were playing at the park during recess. Well, I was playing with everyone else and Elena was just sitting by herself under a tree, reading. I went up to her and invited her over to play with us, but she refused saying that she couldn't. She didn't tell me why and I tried striking a conversation with her, like asking her what she was reading, but she was silent after that. Never once did she glance up at me. So I returned back to playing tag with all the other children. After that, she didn't show up to school for a few days and I started getting worried. None of the other classmates were really bothered since she was like a ghost and barely anyone knew she was there, and the teachers stayed silent as if they knew but didn't like to talk about it. So coming home one day, I passed by the hospital like I always do since it's between my house and the school, and I see Elena outside just watching the sky. I went over to her and asked her what was wrong. That's the first time we've had an actual conversation together and she told me of her heart disease. After that I just kept on visiting her constantly and we've been friends ever since."

"So you've known each other for a decade?"

"Almost nearly. Actually, a week ago was the marking of the decade. I was going to make her a big cake and hopefully sneak her out of the hospital for a fun day together," Amy answered, a small sniffled in her voice. Her eyes began to shine with tears, but she held them back.

"How well do you think you know Elena after all this time?"

"Oh I know everything," Amy began with a small chuckle. "Favorite foods, color, movies, shows, books, hobbies, hates, pet peeves. It's come to the point where we can be in the same conversation yet talk about completely different things yet still get each other or silently communicate everything with just one glance."

"How would you describe Elena then?"

"She's usually quiet and calm with what being brought up in a rich household, rather indifferent and cold to the world. However, once you get her peeved she doesn't hesitate to let you have it. She's truthful, but also blunt to the point where her comments can be hurtful to others. She's a bit stubborn, especially when she's proven wrong. I know Elena would disagree with me, believing herself to be detached from the world and all, but she is a caring person and has a sense of justice in her and is open-minded about everything and everyone around her. More than anything, she loves knowledge, gaining it and stuff, and the best way she gets that is through books. She just loves learning, which is why she has no trouble beating everyone's ass when it comes to tests and stuff. Not only learning, but she also loves to prove herself with her intelligence and does tend to get up on a high horse at some points." Amy allowed a small smile as she thought of the times Elena's proven these points to her.

"This Elena sounds like someone who would rarely let emotions get the best of her."

"Oh yeah. She knows when to keep a cool head. Says it's the best thing to do when in various situations."

"Has there ever been a point when she lost her temper?"

"Once in the time that I knew her. We were both thirteen at the time and in middle school. I wasn't there for the beginning, so I don't know how it started, but when I arrived, Elena was practically screeching and screaming at her father in rage, tears running down her face as she blindly went to grabbing the books she dearly loved and throwing them at him with enough force to damage them when they hit the wall and fell to the ground. It was the first time I was scared of Elena and scared for Elena. 'Scared of' because it was something I would never have dreamed of her doing before and she was unpredictable as she violently thrashed about. 'Scared for' because her health reached critical levels. The nurses tried to calm her down, but she wouldn't stop. Eventually her heart just stopped and she was immediately rushed into the emergency room. Elena didn't wake up for a few days after that. I think that was the first time I was ever scared in general, scared that Elena could die and she would have died in rage instead of peacefully. I also realized that that's the reason why Elena is always so calm because if she gets too worked up then it could very well mean the end for her."

"You mentioned her father. Does she not have a good relationship with the man?"

"No. It was always strained every time he came by to talk with Elena. It wasn't until then that I realized how much she hated him. I grew to hate him after that as well, not only because of the incident, but also because of who he is in general. Demanding, always looking down at people, arrogant, apathetic if he ruins anyone, and always having a couple of bimbos on his arms every time he sees Elena. It's hard to not just sock the guy in the nose already and also find a good point in him." Amy nearly sneered in disgust even as she talked about the man.

"What of her mother?"

"Elena says that her mother died before she could really commit her to memory. I've seen Elena try and ask her father, but he usually just snaps and cuts the topic short, so Elena has stopped questioning it."

"So you don't think Elena is hiding any secrets from you?"

"No. She doesn't hesitate to tell me anything and is truthful if I ask her of any opinion. I remember having this boyfriend in the beginning of high school and introducing him to Elena. She didn't hesitate telling him off in front of his face and the school, humiliating him which then caused him to break up with me right after in front of everyone and thus humiliating me. I didn't talk to Elena for weeks after that, probably the biggest fight we'd ever have, but Elena found a way to make it up to me. She openly threatened everyone else at school by revealing humiliating secrets she found out about them and also using her money and power to destroy their families. It was funny to watch; a tiny little thing like Elena standing on a cafeteria table and yelling at everyone while they all looked scared as they realized that she wasn't playing around. After that, everyone acted as if the break up never occurred and Elena and I made up at that point. While I'd already forgiven everyone, she still glared at them as they passed by her for quite some time." As Amy narrated the story, you could almost hear the laughter in her voice as her eyes begin to gain that little glimmer it once held.

"What about her childhood before she met you? Has she ever told you any of that?"

"No..." Amy trailed off, shaking her head as she thought about it. "She told me that she couldn't really remember her childhood. According to her dad, she had a severe heart attack when she was around six that put her into a coma for a few months and caused amnesia. I've heard some doctors say that the lack of blood flow to her brain because of her heart which shut down her brain, but some have suggested that it was a psychological trauma that she wanted to forget. I don't know. Her father keeps silent about it and Elena doesn't remember it anyway, so she ignores it."

"So back to the matter at hand. Let's say you did kidnap Elena. For what reason would you have to do so?" the psychologist carefully asked. He didn't want to upset her further while she was in such a delicate state.

"Kidnap her?! As I've told the police and everyone else, I would never do such a thing!" Amy growled in a low voice, swiftly turning her head to fiercely glare at Mister Lebrun.

"Now Miss Fullerton, it's just a hypothetical question of 'what if', that's all," Mister Lebrun explained calmly, raising a hand as a gesture to mean that he meant no harm. Amy, already sick and tired of the session, abruptly stood from the seat and stomped over to the door.

"Well it's a question that I don't want to think about any further than I already have. I'm sure my parents have already covered the cost of this session. Good bye, Mister Lebrun," Amy harshly spoke, sending one final glare at the psychiatrist before practically ripping the door off its hinges to leave, loudly slamming it on her way out, causing some of the surrounding pictures to fall off the wall and crash onto the floor.

* * *

**A/N - And that's the longest chapter I've ever written at over 4,000 words. Well, Elena's officially met Blood and the Amusement Park Role Holders now and you've learned more about Elena and Amy in the past! Leave a review to tell me your thoughts and/or some problems you've found in this chapter. I'd like to thank **_Guest,_ **and **_xxXMythiaXxx_ **for reviewing this story and a special thank you to **_Sleeping Moon_ **for helping me out with this chapter, namely the part when Elena's interacting with the Role Holders. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays and Happy New Years to you, my beloved readers!**

_**Sleeping Moon =**_Happy Holidays to you as well! Thank you!

**_Guest_ =** Well, she shot Blood's hat off, does that count? Anyway, I do realize that those are topics that not everyone would be talking about I was thinking that the faceless were complaining about it and Elena happened to hear it. As for finding out what the 'feeling' is, you'll have to read more to find out!

_**xxXMythiaXxx** _Sorry about the long paragraphs, I just like describing things as I see the scenes play out in my head. I'll be sure to read and review "The Foreigners of Wonderland". And you're right about reviews being inspiring!


	4. The Meeting With the Duke

_Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice and its canon characters and ideas._

_Claimer: I do own this story, which includes plot and characters never introduced in Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice_

* * *

**IV. The Meeting with the Duke**

_"Wake up!"_

Elena jolted to consciousness, breathing heavily with her brow shining of sweat. Her eyes began to blink rapidly to take in her surroundings. White. That's the color all around her. White ceiling, white walls, white...everything really. Calming herself down to take labored breaths, Elena slowly sat up to get a clearer picture of her environment. She was back in her hospital room, even that same worn green book was on the nightstand.

"Miss Thorne, are you alright?" a concerned voice of one of her nurses asked. Elena took a moment to look at the cardiac monitor, since it was the only thing the nurses would wake her up about, and was surprised to see her heart rate had drastically increased, but was slowing down now.

"Yes I'm fine... Just a...strange...dream, that's all," she breathed out, waving the nurse away. It was a rather strange dream. The forest, the falling, the Amusement Park, a gun fight, Role Holders, territorial negotiations, the feeling... Yep, just a strange dream after all, even if it seemed so real. Well, that's the thing about dreams, they seem too real until you wake up.

"If you say so Miss Thorne. Your father has scheduled an appointment with you later at noon right after your check-up," the nurse informed her. She bowed to the girl and quietly left the room.

"I guess it's a bittersweet thing to be back," Elena muttered. She then proceeded to pick up her book and flip to the page she remembered leaving off on.

**~Scene Change~**

"Hey Ells, how are you feeling today?" Amy shouted as she slammed through the door and trotted over to Elena's side. Elena just blankly stared at the girl, owlishly blinking her eyes as if trying to remember something.

"Have you ever been to a psychiatric appointment before?" Elena suddenly asked, marking the page she left off on and placing it down on the nightstand.

"No..." Amy answered slowly in confusion with a frown. She slowed down her merry trot and took a seat on that plain white stool as usual.

"You're right, sorry about that," Elena apologized, shaking her head. It was a strange question to ask. Maybe it was something from her dreams, but she couldn't recall what it was exactly. Looking back up at Amy, Elena couldn't help but feel that certain sense of "deja vu". "Doesn't all of this seem familiar to you?" Elena couldn't help but ask.

"Familiar? What do you mean by that?" Amy questioned, becoming genuinely concerned for her friend now. Usually Elena would ask for the notes from class, which she forgot again.

"No, no... Sorry..." Elena apologized again. She began to shake and lightly rub her head as if to help relieve the vague memories of the dream that was quickly slipping away from her mind.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Amy asked in concern, leaning towards her friend and placing a hand on her forehead to check her temperature. "You seem fine," she remarked, looking between Elena and her cardiac monitor to see that it displayed the same results as always. Just then, Mister Thorne strode in with that blonde bimbo hanging off his arm, Rose.

"Am I interrupting something?" Mister Thorne rudely remarked, though his face and voice said that he couldn't care less.

"Hello to you as well," Elena bite out.

"Hello Ellie-bellie!" Rose called out, practically shrieking to both Elena and Amy.

"Rose and Miss Amy, please leave the room while I speak with my daughter," Mister Thorne requested, though it sounded more like a harsh order. Rose turned on her heel and left away in a huff, but Amy was about to deny his order until Elena placed a gentle hand on her forearm.

"It's okay," Elena said. Knowing what she was saying, Amy's frown deepened but she stood and quietly left the room nonetheless.

"Thank you for convincing your friend to leave," Mister Thorne nodded in approval of her action. It was weird though, since Amy would always fight to stay by Elena's side and Elena would encourage it.

"I already know what you're going to say. A party on Saturday and there a few marriage propositions waiting for me at this party," Elena waved off as if it weren't the least important thing to be worried about. She didn't know how she knew that. Was it a sense of deja-vu or something?

"Yes," Mister Thorne nodded slowly in confirmation. "Anyway, I expect you to be at your best for the party," he instructed, turning to leave without so much as a "goodbye".

_"You don't have to go," _a voice whispered into Elena's mind, prompting her to answer without really thinking about it. It was a soft and soothing sound that help relax Elena and at the same time empower her. Suddenly, Elena felt herself becoming more daring against her guardian.

"I don't want to go," she firmly said, causing Mister Thorne to freeze and slowly turn back to her. Elena was taken back, surprised by her action, but she didn't let it show and continued going on strong.

_"Don't let him control you,"_ the same voice whispered again.

"I am not a puppet by your strings," Elena continued with a louder voice.

_"It's your own life," _the voice encouraged her to go on.

"It's my life!" Elena repeated after the voice in a louder tone, almost to the point of yelling.

_"Do what you wish," _again the voice continued.

"I will no longer be under the rules of your game!" Elena shouted, the sound echoing against the white walls. The moment the word "game" left her lips, everything around her began to peel away like rotting paper. Startled, Elena pushed herself further into the bed as if to try and escape the world crumbling around her.

"As long as you live under my care, you are under my rules!" the deep voice of Mister Thorne growled out like a raging animal. Elena looked at him, but was shocked to discover that Mister Thorne's body had been ripped away like the rest of the world around her and only his voice remains.

"This game has just begun and there is no escape!"

Elena screamed out.

**~Scene Change~**

In a sweaty heap, Elena shot out of bed, her breath heaving and her heart hammering. She had a strange and frightening dream, but the more she thought about it, the more it slipped away from her until she couldn't remember what exactly was in the dream. All she knew now was that it had frightened and alarmed her.

"Are you alright?" a voice to Elena's side asked. Looking over, Elena saw the teenager, Boris Airay he called himself, sitting on a set of drawers and just staring at her. Elena began to remember everything that happened before, she ended up in Wonderland, shot a gun to stop a fight, and that strange feeling took over and caused her to drop out like a light.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a dream," Elena waved off his concern, pushing the blankets off her body and sitting on the edge of the sky blue bed. The room around her was painted a soft blue color with dark mahogany desk and drawer side-by-side to one wall, a four-paneled window on the opposite wall, and a door to the corner that was white.

"Seemed more than a dream to me. Like a nightmare with the way you woke up," Boris commented, jumping off the drawers to stand and stretch.

"Thank you for your observation," Elena dryly remarked, getting up from the bed and adjusting the blankets neatly. "I suppose Mister Gowland wished to speak with me the moment I wake up, right? That's why you're just there, watching me sleep," she observed as she straightened the blankets.

"Yep. The old man's quite worried with the way you fainted and all," Boris confirmed with a nod, then walking over to the door and waiting for her to finish.

"I see," Elena murmured. Once she finished, she walked over to the door, holding it open for him as she said, "Well then, take me to your leader," in a voice the mocked dramatics. Boris just grinned and walked out the door with Elena following right behind him.

**~Scene Change~**

At the moment, Elena primly sat in Gowland's off, nursing a cup of green tea in her hand by her request. Boris had already left to do his "work" (though Elena seriously doubted it was work with the way he said it. Never trust a smirking cat, or a smirking someone) and Pierce was off somewhere, so it was only her and Gowland right now.

"I thank you Mister Gowland for not only providing me with tea, but also allowing me to rest in your house when I fainted," Elena thanked with a small bow of her head, a half-curtsy if you could call it that since she sat and had no desire to stand up again.

"Eh, no need to be so proper with me sweet pea but it sure is nice to see someone with manners. Just call me Gowland. And what might a foreigner be in these parts?" he asked. Gowland gave Elena a kind smile to show that he meant no harm, but it did nothing to appease Elena's anxiousness.

"Mister Gowland if I may be frank, it is against my teachings to call a person without an honorific so I can only address you as 'Mister Gowland'," Elena informed him. It was rather strange to be called anything such as "sweet pea" or another endearing term, but she shrugged it off. 'Perhaps he's just trying to make the conversation more positive,' she thought, though it made her suspicious of him. "As for your question, I was hoping you would answer that."

"Well..." Gowland began, holding out the 'l' in thought, "I can tell right off the bat that you're not a Role Holder 'cause you've got a different...vibe, or at least that's what I hear youngsters these days refer to as 'feeling'. Don't know why they can't just say it, the word ain't that hard to pronounce; anyway, if I were to venture a guess...you must be an Outsider, someone who isn't a resident of this country."

"I'm not that young," Elena quietly muttered to herself. "Yes, I suppose I am an Outsider here in Wonderland," Elena nodded in agreement, bringing the tea cup to her lips but not actually taking a sip. Her mind began to wander on the word "feeling" and how she had one these past few hours (or was it days? Elena couldn't tell at the moment); how a certain "feeling" had pulled her into Wonderland, how it told her what to do with the gun, how it made her faint on the walkway of the park.

"Well, if you're an Outsider then you can't walk this place in ignorance. Where we are now is the Amusement Park; I'm in charge of this territory. The damned Hatter has territory of his own, but he's been trying to take mine through negotiation; but if I do that, I lose the Game!" Gowland slammed his fists down on the table in anger, but immediately sobered up when he remembered he had company and cleared his throat to continue his explanation. "But, back to the matter at hand. Heart Castle is ruled by Vivaldi, the Queen of Hearts. She's got a habit of beheading folks who get even the smallest thing wrong or is just plain bored. Then there's the Clover Tower, owned by my good friend Julius Monrey! It's the only neutral zone. The other territories, including this one, are in a triangular tug-o'-war so to speak."

"I'm aware. Truth be told, I've actually been walking around the outskirts of your Amusement Park in the shadows. I've learned of the different regions, the territorial "wars", and people called "Role Holders", but you've made it clearer for me to understand so thank you," Elena nodded. "On another note, I doubt that those were 'negotiations' you were dealing with earlier," she remarked, taking a moment to send an accusing glance at Gowland before relaxing. "Could you please explain this "Game" you mentioned?" she asked.

"Well...there isn't much I can tell you 'cause of the rules but... you've gotta interact with the people of this world. The progress can be monitored and collected if ya drink the Medicine of Heart, something that'll keep you here in Wonderland. And once the vial is full again you've got a choice to stay...or go home. But once you return to your world, you can't come back here. Does that make any sense, little lady?"

"Well I never drank a concoction since I've gotten here, much less something called the 'Medicine of Hearts'. I was just here and decided walk around to get more information," Elena shrugged. Thinking back, she never remembered seeing a vile of sorts, not even on the roof of the stall she woke up on.

"Well if that's the case, then it'd be really simple for you to return home! Just go to the Clover Tower and talk to Julius. He'll know what to do!" Gowland happily exclaimed, but slowly a frown made its way onto his face. "But...it's been an awful long time since I talked to an Outsider, so it'd be kinda sad if you left right away," he remarked with a sad tone.

Elena was silent for a moment, deep in thought, until she looked up at Gowland and asked, "Who was the last Outsider?" She knew that she had to go on to the Clover Tower to a man called "Julius", to prove if Gowland's information was correct, but she couldn't stop herself from asking for she was always curious.

"Her name...was Alice Liddell. She was a really sweet girl, thought that our life meant something and didn't like it when someone got killed for no apparent reason. I loved her, and so did the rest of the Role Holders. However...she carried a lot of guilt and that had drove her back home, to her older sister. Since then...things have changed. Julius doesn't come out of the Clover Tower anymore, and the Prime Minister mopes around Heart Castle wishing Alice would come back. He was fond of her you see, and the one who brought her here in the first place. To make her...happy."

Elena just sighed and stood, placing her half-empty cup of tea on Gowland's desk. With the mournful way Gowland spoke of this "Alice Liddell", Elena began to regret asking, though not because she felt bad for bringing such a sensitive subject up but because she wasn't in the mood to hear some sob story, though she probably never will be. "Clearly this Wonderland is not the place for me," she stated, walking over to the door, but she turned back to Gowland and offered him a small curtsy. "Mister Gowland, I thank you again for your hospitality and kindness, but I'm afraid I must excuse myself in order to find this Clover Tower."

"Oh? Ah, all righty then! It was nice to meet you little lady, and...have a safe trip back home okay?" Gowland showed Elena a small, somber smile. He was saddened by the fact that she wanted to leave just after she got to Wonderland, but she seemed determined and who was he to get in her way? Besides, he really did wish for her to be safe because even if she acted tough she was a small thing that could easily be hurt. Elena only nodded before turning and leaving his office. Gowland sat in silence for a moment, just thinking. Suddenly, he jumped up from his desk and ran to his door, remembering a crucial piece of information.

"Ah, little lady!" Gowland hollered over at Elena, who was already near the end of the hall. She heard it nonetheless and stopped to twist her upper body to face him, a raised eyebrow in questioning on her face. "I forgot to mention something. If you run into a knight named Ace, don't follow him to the Clover Tower if he offers! That fella has the worst sense of direction and it'll take you a long time to get where you need to go!" he advised. Elena just nodded and gave him a thumbs up, not wanting to yell back her thanks to him, before turning the corner and disappearing from Gowland's sight.

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**A/N - I know it's not a very exciting chapter but spoiler alert and a cliche, guess who Elena will meet next? That's right, the bloodied knight of Hearts Castle, Ace. If you've read **_Waltzing in Wonderland_**, a story co-written by **_Sleeping Moon_ **and myself, then you can see that Elena and Ace don't have the best of relationships (if you want to read it, it can be found under **_Sleeping Moon_**'s profile) So, how do you think their first meeting will go? Will Elena be able to handle the man? Thanks for reading and be sure to leave a review below to tell me your thoughts on this chapter and/or what you see wrong. Special thanks to;**

_**Sleeping Moon**_= Without your guidance and help through our PM chats, I probably would still be stuck on this chapter for another week or so.

_**xxXMythiaXxx**_= Thanks for agreeing to have my OC, Elena, on your story, "The Foreigners of Wonderland". Hope she doesn't cramp up the style (do people say that. I don't know anymore) with her attitude or anything.

_**AnimeAngel**_= Thank you for reviewing the last chapter! I understand the Internet connection and I hope you had a wonderful Holiday in the country you were visiting. And to answer your question, Amy's role will become more apparent as the story goes on, you'll just have to wait and read.


	5. The Confrontation of the Knave of Hearts

_Disclaimer: I do not own Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice and its canon characters and ideas._

_Claimer: I do own this story, which includes plot and characters never introduced in Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice_

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**V. The Confrontation of the Knave of Hearts**

"I hate this place," Elena grumbled to herself in annoyance as she voyaged through the woods of Wonderland. Right now it was dusk and cold, causing Elena to bundle herself with the white robe to contain as much heat as possible, but she couldn't do anything about her bare feet. Since she didn't want to really cause a scene or commotion, unlike what happened at the Amusement Park, she decided that it would be best if she were to walk in the woods, hidden by the tall trees and shadows, and just go towards the highest building (Gowland did say it was a tower).

"I wonder how Amy is doing..." Elena spoke to herself quietly and continued to speak to herself with questions about what could possibly be going on in her world. Elena hated just pure silence, she really did. Usually it was the books that kept her mind occupied, or the hospital staff and duties, or Amy, but now it was just...silence... So Elena resorted in the only thing that kept her mind busy, talking to herself. Maybe it was a good thing that no one was near her, or else someone would have pegged her down as being a mad woman.

Suddenly, Elena heard an unusual rustling coming from behind and without taking a second to think, she quickly dove to hind behind the nearest and largest tree. She slid down to where she was sitting on the trunk and stayed absolutely still and silent as the rustling came closer. Then, the shaking of the leaves stopped, but heavy footsteps and soft clinks followed after. Someone was in the same clearing where Elena was and coming closer to where she hid. No matter how hard Elena's heart pounded in her chest, her curiosity was much larger, so she took the chance and peeked around the tree and to the intruder.

It was a man, judging by their broad figure, and a very tall one at that (though let's be honest, pretty much everyone is taller than Elena). His face was hidden by the tattered brown cloak he wore, but it was covered with blood splatters. On one hand he held a bunch of large clocks by their chains, which were also covered in blood. On the opposite hand he held a sword that was covered in blood, a typical medieval-styled sword. This man was probably the "knight" that Gowland mentioned, Ace; Elena figured. Was he maybe protecting the land against trespassers? Hunting down criminals? But that didn't explain the clocks. Maybe the criminals stole some treasure and he was tasked to get them back. That did make a bit more sense, after all the clocks looked to be solid gold. So why did he wear a cloak when knights were to wear their armor and the insignia of the castle with pride? Speaking of armor, Elena could hear that he didn't have any on by the lack of metallic sounds. Maybe the cloak was to help him blend in? Well, green would have been better, but Elena supposed people were vain to an extent.

As Elena's mind whirred around about different ideas, the sound of Ace's footsteps became quiet and distant. Waiting for a few more moments in silence, Elena slowly lifted herself up by the use of her arms, but abruptly stopped when a flash of silver swung above her head and she heard the sound of cracking wood right above, thus dropping herself back down from the sudden shock. Elena's eyes slowly rolled upwards and saw that it was a sword; the same bloodied sword that Ace was carrying not too long ago. Her eyes trailed to the sword's golden hilt, which was held by a gloved hand, which was connected to a long arm cloaked in a long black sleeve, which was connected to the man himself; Ace. Looking at him in better lighting, Elena could see that he had short, light brown hair and red ruby eyes.

"Well look who I found! A damsel in distress!" Ace "happily" exclaimed with a "friendly" smile, but Elena saw the viciousness hidden behind those gleaming red eyes of his.

"I suppose that you are the knight that Mister Gowland mentioned. Mister Ace, right?" Elena asked, willing her voice back to its neutral state without stuttering out of surprise.

"So you were just at the Amusement Park, hmm?" Ace hummed out. Suddenly, his smile vanished and his eyes slightly grew wide as he stared at Elena, as if he just realized something. He knelt down to Elena's level and stared at her, but kept his grip on the handle of his sword as leverage. "You have eyes," he noted aloud.

"Yes. Thank you for noticing," Elena slowly said, pushing herself further into the trunk of the tree to get away from his close proximity, but he only seemed to lean in closer. It came to the point where Elena couldn't move anymore and their noses were almost touching. Elena was uncomfortable to say the least.

"Are you a new Role Holder?" he casually asked as if he wasn't pushing her back into a tree and they weren't physically close at all.

"No. Mister Gowland called me an 'outsider'," Elena clarified, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"A new Outsider, huh..." Ace trailed off in thought, moving away from Elena and releasing the grip on his sword that was still above her head, deep in the tree.

"Well, yes. If it isn't too much trouble, may-" Elena was abruptly cut off from finishing her request when a pair of large hands quickly wrapped themselves around her neck and she was slammed back into the tree by the force of the hands. It took a moment for Elena to realize what was happening; Ace was choking her against the tree.

"I wasn't able to kill the last Outsider, but I suppose you'll do. Though I guess it's a bad thing that I don't get to listen to your heart, but I listened to her's so its okay," Ace said darkly with a sinister smirk on his face, his eyes glowing with amusement. Elena began to squirm by her back and Ace chuckled at her movements. "Are you trying to escape?" he asked, amused by her supposed attempts to flee.

"No, just trying to get comfortable," Elena answered with a strained voice. She then stopped moving and relaxed herself. "Don't you know how uncomfortable it is to be pushed against a tree with sharp bark? At the very least I want to die as comfortable as I can get," Elena said. She could feel her heart beginning to beat wildly due to the lack of oxygen and even her vision become more blurry as time passed.

"But don't you want to try to escape? My grip isn't even that hard, look." To prove his point, Ace tightened his hold on Elena's neck causing her to flinch at the pain.

"Well, everyone is going to die at some point. I've just accepted my fate; die now or sooner," Elena nonchalantly wheezed. By now she should have passed out since her cardiac organ was just erratic and out of control right now, but she was still conscious. A voice, a soft and lulling voice spoke to her in the back of her mind. It told her to hang on to life. Well, Elena supposed that was reasonable because no matter how strong the want and impulse for death is, it is just human biology to cling to life even through the smallest of means; and the mind is a powerful thing over the human body. Suddenly, Ace's grip went slack until he let go of her neck and Elena began to cough and wheeze due to the lack of air.

"You didn't think I would kill, did you?" Ace asked with the same tone a sad and blamed child would use.

"I...I don't know..." Elena hesitated to answer. He seemed serious enough, but his expression right now also seemed serious. Ace just chuckled at her answer and stood, ripping his sword away from the tree as he went up.

"It's getting kind of late. Do you want to share a tent with me?" Ace asked, his childlike happiness back.

"Erm...a tent?" Elena questioned, slowly moving to stand up. Elena took in her surroundings when her vision came back to her and noticed that it was already nighttime.

"Yeah! And a fire to keep us warm," Ace enthusiastically explained, pulling out a sleeping bag and tent in a role from...well, out of nowhere it seemed to Elena.

"I think it's better for me to get to the tower as soon as possible," Elena reasoned and began to turn away, but Ace stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"C'mon! It'll be fun! Besides, you can't really walk around the cold night with wearing just that," Ace said, looking her up and down to emphasize the point of her thin clothes. Elena just eyed him with uncertainty.

**~Scene Change~**

"How did it come to this?" Elena quietly asked herself as she sat in front of the campfire, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes slid over to Ace, who was setting up the tent while humming some merry tune, before staring back at the fire, deep in thought.

"Hey, I never got your name but apparently you know mine," Ace said as he sat down next to her.

"Elena," she absentmindedly answered, too deep in thought to pay any real attention to him.

"Elena..." Ace repeated again, letting the words roll off his tongue. "I could call you Ellie!" he decided.

"Please Mister Ace, I would like to be addressed by my given name," Elena sighed out, turning her head to actually look at him for the first time. He had set his brown cloak and the clocks into the tent and wore a long red coat with black pants.

"Whatever you say Ellie!" Ace laughed out, completely ignoring her request and the two sat in silence for a long time; Ace not knowing what to do and Elena just thinking about the man beside her.

"You know, I think I knew a man like you once Mister Ace" Elena quietly spoke to break the ice, still staring at the flames. Ace just turned his head to look at her, waiting for her to continue. "At the hospital, there was this patient. Old man, nice and kind to everyone, optimistic about everything. And then he just...snapped I guess..." Elena just shrugged, "A few dead nurses and he was taken off to a nearby asylum right after he was found guilty," she further explained.

"...You were in the hospital?" Ace asked, avoiding the story she just told, but Elena only nodded as an answer.

"I think I've figured you out. You're like a...a glass..." Elena struggled to find an analogy for Ace, "A nice glass to look at but the liquid inside is poisonous or harmful." Elena glanced at Ace's face and quietly sighed when she saw the tiniest bit of sadness in his eyes. "Or maybe a sweet dessert. You know, it's all good to look at and nice to eat but it's really bad for your digestive system and insides," she tried to amend her earlier analogy. Ace just chuckled at her attempts causing the corners of Elena's mouth to twitch upward for a second and the two grew silent again. She didn't know why she was trying to comfort the man who tried to choke her. Was it that slight sadness in his eye? Was it because no one was saying anything before, she was annoyed with herself for not analyzing Ace immediately and so just let her opinions go once she realized it and then she felt bad because of it?

"If your eyes were brown instead of red, I'd probably call you 'Chocolate Chip' or 'Chip' for short as a nickname seeing as how you won't call me by my given name, Mister Ace," Elena randomly remarked, turning her head to look at Ace. Ace just laughed loudly and grinned widely.

"Hey Ellie, can I listen to your heart?" Ace suddenly asked, leaning a bit closer to her face. Elena thought about it for a minute before nodding with hesitance. Ace just smiled and leaned his ear against Elena's chest, eyes closed. What he heard surprised him; a very faint and irregular heartbeat. He opened his eyes and lifted his head to give Elena a questioning look.

"You did ask if I was in the hospital," Elena just shrugged.

"So what's wrong with your heart?" he asked.

"...I have a heart defect..." Elena softly admitted and Ace just stared at her. She was surprised when Ace placed his ear against her bosom again with a small smile.

"I don't mind. It sounds different than before," Ace said, but Elena wasn't sure whether to take that as a compliment or insult so she let it slide.

"Mister Ace, I think it's best if we go to sleep now so we can wake up early in the morning and go to the tower," Elena said, gently pushing Ace away and standing. "I guess I'll just go and sleep in the tent now..." Elena awkwardly remarked. She'd never been camping, so she didn't know what to do. Ace just nodded and moved to put out the flames while Elena went into the tent. There was only one sleeping bag so she just laid down beside it, curling to her side and facing away from the sleeping bag.

"Ellie, you know you're supposed to use the sleeping bag!" Ace laughed out once he entered the tent.

"Well, it was originally yours so you have the rights to it. Besides, I'm fine just the way I am," Elena waved him off, feeling too lazy to move from her position. She gasped in surprise when Ace pinned her down on her back, grinning down at her.

"Let me listen to your heart again Ellie," he happily requested, but without waiting for her consent Ace just placed his ear over her heart and got himself cozy. Elena just sighed in exasperation and slightly shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Mister Ace, if you're going to listen to my heart then I ask to do it in another position where all your weight isn't on me. Quite frankly, I find that you are too fat for me to carry around," she retorted in annoyance, to which Ace just laughed at her words.

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**A/N - And that's a wrap! What do you think of Ace's and Elena's relationship so far? Next up we have the Clover Tower residents! ****Thanks for reading and be sure to leave a review below to tell me your thoughts on this chapter and/or what you see wrong. Special thanks to;**

_******Sleeping Moon**_= Thanks for reviewing as always and helping me out with this chapter!

_******AnimeAngel **_= I'm glad to hear you had a fun time and thanks for reviewing! And I just want to say that you are right in your analysis. For your questions, if I answer them then I'll give too much away. I can say this though, we are coming up to Nightmare and the Medicine of Hearts and stuff very soon!

_******xxXMythiaXxx **_= Thanks for reviewing twice for the previous chapters! I hope you like the paragraph arrangements for this chapter.


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